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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMusk's Team Gets Access to Payroll Data of 276,000 Federal Workers
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/us/politics/doge-musk-federal-payroll.htmlhttps://archive.ph/tEXXY
March 31, 2025
Musks team accesses a federal payroll system over the objections of career staff.
Members of Elon Musks cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency gained access over the weekend to a payroll system that processes salaries for about 276,000 federal employees across dozens of agencies, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The move overruled objections from senior IT staff who feared it could compromise highly sensitive government personnel information, including by making it more vulnerable to terrorist cyberattacks, these people said.
By accessing the system, which is housed at the Interior Department, the DOGE workers now have visibility into sensitive employee information, such as Social Security numbers, and the ability to more easily hire and fire workers, according to the two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.
The DOGE workers had tried for about two weeks to obtain administrative access to the program, known as the Federal Personnel and Payroll System, the two people said. The dispute came to a head on Saturday, as the DOGE workers obtained the access and then placed two of the IT officials who had resisted them on administrative leave and under investigation, the people said.
The move follows other efforts by DOGE to gain entry to federal systems and databases, some of which have encountered resistance in the courts.
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Musk's Team Gets Access to Payroll Data of 276,000 Federal Workers (Original Post)
dalton99a
Monday
OP
Nobody seems to stop Musk-yes we have temporary delays from the Courts but not much else.
riversedge
Monday
#1
And the ability to remove said peoples records from payroll system and the social security system. They would
LiberalArkie
Monday
#2
I do not have access to the NYTimes, but I would like to know WHY Doge needs this access???
riversedge
Monday
#4
riversedge
(74,793 posts)1. Nobody seems to stop Musk-yes we have temporary delays from the Courts but not much else.
dalton99a
(87,743 posts)3. +1. The parasite has full support from the tyrant
LiberalArkie
(17,785 posts)2. And the ability to remove said peoples records from payroll system and the social security system. They would
not even exist then. Remove said Social Security numbers from the passport database and they are not even citizens. How can a person be born and have no social security birth and work history.
riversedge
(74,793 posts)4. I do not have access to the NYTimes, but I would like to know WHY Doge needs this access???
LiberalArkie
(17,785 posts)5. My guess, so that people do not exist.I think someone has explained to Elon and the kids what would happen
if they started mass removal of peoples income by stopping Social Security Payments, but they can just remove peoples identities, and payroll from senators and business people now.
And the fun part is all they have to say is "OOPS"
dalton99a
(87,743 posts)6. Archive link has been added
riversedge
(74,793 posts)8. thanks so much.
intrepidity
(8,219 posts)7. I believe Elon intends to build his own payment system
and wants to migrate the entire federal payment system to it (including SSA) --- and then reap billions in transaction fees etc.